Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-04-03
YANKEE CLOCK TIMERS.
SUCCESS OF ON. or THE EN-
PERTS OF NEW YORK.

PERrS OF NEW YORK.
The Salaries OF Some ofthe Clockmsker'
-Repairing Fifth Avenue Timepiece'
i the Rate OF Ten Dollars or More
Electric Clock CorporatiOns-The New
fork Young Man a Mystery.
NEW YORK, April 2.-Tne old Yankee
clock tinker has drifted into New York,
and is making fewer scquaintances but
more money than OF yore. One OF the
elock experts OF the city, d. W. Bradley
by name, left his route in the country,
came to the metropolis and made $2,OUO
year winding and repairing the ten tower
clocks then IN the CITY. An era of COM
petition in clock winding, AS ia every
thing else, struck New York and now
dozen men are at il, and the old winders,
like Mr.. Bradley, have gone into the ser.
vice Of the extensive clock-makers at
handsome salaries. Two winders have
almost a monopoly In the care OF the
many tower clocks which they wind once
week, and they earn their money, for it
lie hard Dor TO raise twelve hundred
pound weight with thousand or more
turns Of key.
Tiffany & Co. employ a clocKm aker to
devise curious time pieces, and lie has
under him five men who are busy all the
while winding clocks in private houses,
which they visit once a week. Some of
the Fifth avenue mansions have from
twenty to thirty clocks, from the dollar
clock in the servants room to the three.
thousand dollar time-piece in grand hall.
Ten dollars or more month is paid for
this service, and the winder, who must
be q clock tinker as well and keep the
time pieces 10 order, has certain day
Tor visiting each house. To do his work
without obtrudirg upon privacy requires
sire lawyer OF New York city, has the
finest collection Of clocks in the
metropolis. although 1t does
not equal the famous assortment
owned by Editor George Washington
Childs, OF the Philadelphia Ledger. There
are so many clock fanciers IN the coun-
try that one New York firm has special
clockmakers turning out unique time
pieces that average $1,000 apiece in
value. The latest wrinkle is a clock with
no figures on the dial, each hour being
indicated by a gro;esque face Of dis
tinctive type. 1t is something OF a nov
city on asking the owner Of such clock
the time OF day, to be told: 'lt is half
past the Indian hali-past - O'Clock }, or
"A quarter past the negro" O'Clock be-
ing Indicated bg the face OF a laughing
Ethiopian. A clock OF which there is no
counterpart has Just been finished for an
eccentric Kew Yorker, whose hobby is
correct time. He was famous for his
punctuality in business; in fact, it
proved the foundation OF his wealth, and
be has mad Tiffany's clock maker turn
him out time-piece worth small for
tune. 1t Is very plain hall clock, its
distinctive feature being four pendulums.
These equaliZe the running OF the clock
works SO that it keeps correct time. Az
ter New ork, Rhode Island and Con-
necticut buy the most expensive clocks.
The professional winders have to make
weekly trips to surrounding towns to
wind clocks in the houses OF rlch patrons.
A large amount OF lcapital is invested in
electric clock corporations in the metrOp-
oils. There have been half dozen or
more styles OF electric clocks since their
manufacture was begun about 1885, one
of the latest being a clock OF obhging
pattern which winds itself every twelve
hours by an electric motor. 1t comes as
near perpetual motion as machinery after
a frultless struggle OF many years has
been able to get.
The six big clock factories OF the
United States, all OF which are in the
same section of Connecticut, ship i'm
mense quantities OF clocks from this city
TO all lands. The Chinese and japanese
nations took TO American clocks with
great e3SeIUebs dIIeF Inc centennial. ana
the manufacturers had to hire natives TO
paint the dials with Chinese or japanese
characters. The trade suddenly fell of
and an investigation revealed as the
cause the fact That tie ingenious Chinese
had begun TO counterfeit the clocks and
were turning thei: prOduct out at prices
hat the American makers couldn't touch.
The lIberal-minded Culnanau seems TO
have a weakness for American time
nd n no a of
he goes and buys big silver watcn and
erotesQue chain. with which nothing
but losses at a game OF fsn-tan can per
suade him TO part. If fortune continues
TO smile on him he gets an alarm clock,
which be works almost to death TO show
les mechanism to envious friends. As
his wealth grows he gets more clocks.
and as the polygamous indicate their
riches by the number of their wives,
some Chinese and Japanese denote
their prosperity by the number
of their clocks. 1t ia no uncommon sight
10 witness Cinnamon ia their native cos
tunes selecting choice time-pieces at the
fashionable stores. In the rooms OF some
of the conservative old Mongoiians OF
Chinatown, who refuse TO accept eau
caslan Innovations, may be seen the
clocks they have fetched from China.
These clocks do not have circular dials.
They are high affairs, the hours being
marked of on slot that runs
from top TO bottom OF the
fame. A weight drops dow o
,tne slot every day, ana as it falls an indi-
Gator on IL marks the time along the slot
The day is divided into twelve hours, six
from sunrise TO sunset and six from sun
set to sunrise. Wnen the days get short
and the nights long the Chinaman moves
the SIX points indicating the six day
= hours close together and the six night
4our points are spread apart. A mistake oil
half an hour or so in time by Mott stree
hold style) clock isn't noticed.
~. In the Office OF one OF the big clock con.
Herns is the time-piece by which native
Ernissiouary In South Africa preached his
Xermons. 1t is a brass bowl with little
ole in its bottom. The bowl is placed in
gourd Of water, and when it fills and
einks the preacher knows that an ho1I
has elapsed, and II he is wise he concludes
kls sermon.
II IS alleged that q wag once plugged
tbIs time-piece, and the preacher, seeing
~ still above water, talked on and on un.
III his sermon dragged on its appalling
Iength over three hours, which caused sc
much disqualification among the congre
I 4ation that the minister purchased O